China's rover soldiers on after completing program 21 August 2021

After the United States, is the second country to land and sustainably operate a spacecraft on Mars, where days are 40 minutes longer than on Earth.

At 1.85 meters (6 feet) in height, Zhurong is significantly smaller than the American rover, which is exploring the planet with a tiny helicopter. NASA expects its rover to collect its first sample in July for return to Earth as early as 2031.

Concurrently, China is assembling its permanent space station, with three astronauts now aboard the Tianhe, or Heavenly Harmony, core that was put Attendees at a ceremony to mark the 100th anniversary into orbit on April 29. Two of the astronauts of the founding of the ruling Chinese Communist Party completed their second space walk on Friday. All pass by a screen depicting China's Mars spacecraft with three are due to return to Earth in September and its rover landing in Beijing on July 1, 2021. China's be replaced by a new crew. Zhurong is soldiering on after completing its initial program to explore the red planet and search for China earlier launched two smaller experimental frozen water that could provide clues as to whether it space stations. It has been excluded from the once supported life, according to an announcement by China's National Space Administration on Friday, Aug. International Space Station largely at the insistence 20, 2021. Credit: AP Photo/Sam McNeil of the United States, which is wary of the 's secrecy and close military links. Congressional approval is also required for any cooperation between NASA and the CNSA. China's Zhurong Mars rover is soldiering on after completing its initial program to explore the red China also recently brought back lunar samples, planet and search for frozen water that could the first by any country's space program since the provide clues as to whether it once supported life. 1970s, and has landed a probe and rover on the 's less explored far side. China's National Space Administration said on its website Friday that Zhurong completed its 90-day China first put an astronaut into orbit in 2003, program on Aug. 15 and was in excellent technical becoming just the third country to do so. condition and fully charged. © 2021 The . All rights reserved. It said it would continue to explore the area known This material may not be published, broadcast, as where it landed on May 14. rewritten or redistributed without permission. Zhurong has been consistently sending back photos and data via the Tianwen-1 orbiter that crosses over it once a day.

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APA citation: China's Mars rover soldiers on after completing program (2021, August 21) retrieved 28 September 2021 from https://phys.org/news/2021-08-china-mars-rover-soldiers.html

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